Bobcats Face UMass
The Quinnipiac University softball team (13-8, 2-2) will play a
non-conference game at the University of Massachusetts (13-10, 2-0
A-10) on Wednesday, March 28. The match-up is scheduled to
begin at 3 p.m. at the UMass Softball Complex in Amherst, Mass.

MultimediaLive stats and video will be available by clicking on the
appropriate links of the Quinnipiac softball schedule at the
Official Website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.

Scouting The MinutewomenUMass enters the week at 13-10 overall with a 2-0 mark in
the Atlantic 10. Prior to playing Quinnipiac on Wednesday, the
Minutewomen will host Dartmouth in their first two home games of
the 2012 season on Tuesday afternoon. Most recently, UMass swept
Saint Louis on the road in its Atlantic 10 opener on March 25. The
Mintewomen earned a pair of shutouts, 5-0 and 8-0, in the A-10
doubleheader and was led by Quianna Diaz-Patterson and Sara Plourde
as they each hit two home runs. Cyndil Matthew currently leads
UMass with a .408 batting average, 29 hits and 22 runs scored. Diaz
Patterson also ranks first amongst the Minutewomen in RBI (19),
total bases (35) and homers (3), while her .312 batting average
stands second. Sara Plourde has led UMass from within the circle
this year, posting a 12-8 record in 21 appearances. Plourde has
compiled a team-high 2.77 ERA, 216 strikeouts, and .137 opponent
batting average in 124 innings pitched.

All-Time Against UMassThe Minutewomen lead the all-time series against
Quinnipiac, 5-0. The Bobcats are 0-4 against UMass on the road and
0-1 in neutral locations. In its most recent meeting, QU fell, 1-0,
in eight innings at Massachusetts on May 8, 2011 in the Bobcats'
final game of the 2011 regular season.

Last Time OutIn its most recent outings, the Bobcats split a Northeast
Conference doubleheader at Monmouth on Sunday, March 25. Quinnipiac
defeated the Hawks, 6-5, in the first game of the afternoon, but
lost, 4-1, in game two of the twinbill. Overall, QU was outhit by
Monmouth, 16-11. Three Bobcats batted .333 in the two-game series,
but sophomore Katie Alfiere led the team with a .400 in two starts.
Senior Christy Cabrera earned the win against MU, while fellow
classmate Heather Schwartzburg picked up her first save of the 2012
season in game one.

Alfiere Has A DaySophomore Katie Alfiere led Quinnipiac with a .400 batting
average against Monmouth on Sunday afternoon. Alfiere started in
each game of the doubleheader. She went 2-for-5 with a RBI and one
run scored. She also led the team with a .600 slugging percentage
and .571 on-base percentage against the Hawks.

NEC OpenerOn Friday, March 23 the Bobcats opened NEC action with a
pair of contests at Mount St. Mary's. The Bobcats split with the
Mountaineers, picking up a 1-0 loss in eight innings and a 2-0
victory in the second contest of the day. Junior Jacquie Ristow
batted a team-high .400 in the two-game series as she went 2-for-5.
Senior Bridget Figmic contributed a RBI, while seniors Christy
Cabrera and Mina Duffy each scored a run against the Mount. Heather
Schwartzburg was granted the win against Mount St. Mary's as she
put together a 0.0 ERA, striking out 12 batters and allowing three
hits. Despite the loss, Christy Cabrera compiled a 0.95 ERA after
allowing only one hit in the match-up. Together, Schwartzburg and
Cabrera held opponents to a .091 batting average on the
afternoon.

A Look At The League StandingsAfter the first weekend of conference play, the Bobcats
are 2-2 in league action, tied for fourth in the NEC standings with
Monmouth, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Wagner. Fairleigh Dickinson leads
the conference at 2-0, while Robert Morris and Sacred Heart each
post a 3-1 mark in league games. Quinnipiac's overall win-loss
percentage (.619) ranks second amongst NEC opponents.

NEC NotesQuinnipiac currently leads the conference with a .977
fielding percentage, which ranks 11th in the NCAA standings. The
Bobcats also posted game-highs amongst NEC foes in putouts (30),
strikeouts (15) and innings pitched (10). All three leads in
statistical categories were achieved against Miami (Ohio) on March
3.

The Stats On SchwartzburgSenior Heather Schwartzburg continues to lead the Bobcats
and the Northeast Conference with a 1.05 ERA, which ranks
23rd in the NCAA standings, after making 13 appearances
and nine starts for QU this season. Schwartzburg, now 8-2 on the
year, has compiled 81 strikeouts, which rank fifth amongst NEC
opponents. In 73.2 innings pitched, Schwartzburg has held opponents
to a team-best .184 batting average. She recently earned her first
save of 2012 in Quinnipiac's 6-5 win at Monmouth on March 25.

Alba Keeps It UpJunior Alex Alba currently leads the Bobcats with a .407
batting average, which also stands third in the NEC rankings. Alba
also ranks first for Quinnipiac and in the conference in doubles
(9), while leading the team in slugging percentage (.644), total
bases (38), and hits (24). She currently stands eighth in the NCAA
rankings in toughest to strike out.

Count On ChristySenior Christy Cabrera led QU over the weekend as she won
two games from within the circle, while maintaining a .304 batting
average. Cabrera has scored eight runs and contributed four RBI
this year, while ranking second on the team in wins (3) and third
in ERA (3.83).

What A CatchSenior catcher Ashley Heiberger ranks second for
Quinnipiac with eight runs scored this season. Heiberger has yet to
make an error in 21 starts this season and currently has a
team-high 121 putouts on the year.

RPI RankingsThe Quinnipiac Bobcats were ranked third amongst NEC
opponents and 131st overall out of 289 Division-I
softball programs in the first NCAA RPI Rankings of the 2012
season, which were announced on Monday, March 26.

What's Ahead For The BobcatsQuinnipiac is set to play its 2012 home opener against
defending NEC Tournament Champions Sacred Heart on Sunday, April 1.
The Bobcats will host the Pioneers in a doubleheader set for a 12
p.m. start at the QU Softball Field.